There’s no doubt about it, the new Céline Dion album is a pure marketing gem. Flip the CD lid and out tumbles a glossy ad vaunting the joys of the star’s new perfume, swiftly followed by a leaflet with instructions on how to download Céline’s official ringtones on your mobile. Commercial directors must be rubbing their hands in glee. Ms. Dion’s new “100% French” album has been eagerly awaited by millions worldwide and Internet websites have been buzzing for months, whetting enthusiasm and expectation. How could it be otherwise when “La Diva Québécoise” has reached out from the glamorous Las Vegas palace, where she has been performing sell-out concerts for the past four years, and proved she has not forgotten her humble fanbase.

Céline Dion reportedly started thinking about her “100% French” album D’Elles around a year ago, motivated by a desire to "sing songs by women about women." Delving ever deeper into her feminine side, La Dion selected nine female novelists from France and Quebec, some of them major stars, others lesser-known authors. The nine Chosen Ones are Francoise Dorin, Nina Bouraoui, Lise Payette, Nathalie Nechtschein, Jovette-Alice Bernier, Janette Bertrand, Marie Laberge, Christine Orban and Denise Bombardier. Oh and that’s not including a guest contribution from the late French romantic novelist George Sand who, having died in 1876, obviously couldn’t personally approve her appearance on the album.

Céline’s all-female pantheon has penned an album that revolves around love, men, relationship issues, children, motherhood and strong women. Themes close to the singer’s own heart which she delivers in her signature vocal acrobatic style, crooning softly and sensuously on songs such as Je cherche l’ombre and Berceuse before rising to a thundering crescendo on A cause and Si j’étais quelqu’un. Interestingly enough, while the lyrics for Céline’s new album were penned by women, the music was exclusively placed in male hands. Arrangements come courtesy of Jacques Veneruso, Gildas Arzel, Erick Benzi and David Gategno (renowned for his work with the likes of Tina Arena, Natasha Saint-Pier and Chimène Badi), the majority of whom are long-term associates of the album’s producer Jean-Jacques Goldman.

Musically speaking, one of the most flamboyant tracks on D’Elles is the appropriately-named La Diva, which by way of an intro features an extract from Puccini’s La Bohême (performed by Maria Callas) and full accompaniment from the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The vibrant tempo of Femme comme chacune also helps lift the general tone of the album which errs on the side of woolly, limp and even lacklustre at times.

Even the most committed Dion addicts have levelled a few criticisms at D’Elles, complaining that the arrangers have overdosed on strings and synthetic tones. But a recent post on the website run by French record store Fnac should reassure La Dion and co. "This album is simply sublime! The dream team of Veneruso, Benzi, Arzel and Gategno with Goldman at the controls has to be congratulated. D'Elles... is an absolute delight for the Mind and the Soul... " Looks as if after her nine-year absence from France, Quebec’s best-known diva will have no trouble packing out Paris’s Bercy Stadium for the eight dates announced in May 2008. And French fans take note, tickets are already selling like proverbial hotcakes!